The Great Escape, Chapter four now added
by Keeper of War
Summary: The Joker and Two-Face begin an all-out assault for the control of Gotham. The Dark Knight's power has decreased since the warrant for his arrest.
1. Chapter 1

The Great Escape

Conversations in Arkham…

SCHEME: DAY 1

The asylum was always quietest during the day, as if the insane were nocturnal, like the horrors of the night. George Craiton stood at the front door, the main guard of Arkham. He glanced at his watch; 6:52. _Eight minutes._ He thought to himself. _Eight minutes, then this get creepy._ Like clockwork, at seven o'clock every night, the Asylum drummed up the introduction for its nightly concerto. The constant din of conversation sparkled with the crazed laughter and shrieks of the insane.

Craiton stood with his hands behind his back, then he heard it. _Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep!_ The seven beeps of his watch told him the time. As if on cue, he heard shuffling in various rooms. A laugh, a chortle, a bang of a head against a wall. It had begun. _Close your eyes, old boy. Your shift will be over soon._

Up the stairs and down the hall were two rooms. Two heavily guarded rooms, with almost every security measure that one could think of. They housed three of Gotham's most dangerous criminals; Harvey Dent, Two-Face, and the Clown Prince of Crime. Every night Harvey would argue with Two-Face as the Joker told anecdotes that no one heard. But tonight was different. True, Dent and Two-Face were still having their nightly quarrel, but the Joker was singing a different tune.

"Dent? Dent…? Hey Two-Face, can Harvey come out to play?" The lunatic's voice sang through the bars of his solid steel door. "I have something I would love to talk to him about." He peered his beady eyes through the bars across the hall to the disfigured ex-DA.

Dent looked up from his bed and crossed to the bars. He looked at the madman, intrigued by the clown's disfigurement as much as his own. "You know, funny-boy, you look a lot different without the make-up." He chuckled at the sight. Two disfigured men having a conversation in the loony bin. Ahh… The times they were a' changing.

"Very funny, coin-flipper, but I make the jokes around here. Put Dent on the line, I gotsta talk to him about something pretty important." The Joker hid his face as much as he could, feeling naked without his true face.

"Oh, fine. No one interesting ever calls for me…" The dark, gravelly voice came in an almost whine. "Only boring old Harvey gets the fun."

"Oh, in due time, my friend. In due time." A cackle rang from the Joker's cage.

"What do you want, Joker?" A more subtle tone of voice came from Dent's cell, signaling that Dent was in control. For now.

"I had a crazy idea, Harvey. Now, I know, this isn't the first one, but this one's good."

"Get on with it, clown." A glare shot from Dent's gaze, accentuated by his half-burned face.

"Oh, fine. Spoil-sport. As much as I love your company, I need to get out of here. You see, I can't take much more of this cramped, musky prison." His hands trembled on the bars. "I need to get out… there… Out in the smog-filled air of the city." His eyes lit up at the sight his mind's eye projected.

Dent glared ever more, "Forget it, Joker. We're here because we deserve to be here. We've done horrible things to good people." He began to turn from the doorway.

"Well, Dent, if you want to be that quick about the decision…"

"LOOK AT ME!" Harvey Dent's voice bellowed from within the confines of his cage. "Why would I want to escape? No one out there will accept me like this! No one! And the only person who I might have had a shot with was the person you blew to hell! So forget it, nutcase. I'll live out my disfigured days here."

A soft humming crossed the hall from the Joker's cell. "See, that's what I wanted to talk to you about… They have this new technique they're developing for giving people a new face… A fresh start, if you will. Looks like you're the poster child, Dent." The Joker shoved his head against the bars, "What do you think? Hmm? A new face, right?" His eyes peered at Dent.

Harvey ran his hand along his burned skin. He stared a moment, then spoke, "No, Joker. No. I can't. Leave me out of your schemes." He turned and sat down on his bed, a tear forming at his right eye.

The Joker released a high-pitched sigh, "Ahh well. I didn't want to do it, but I guess I have no choice. Guess I'll have to talk to your alter ego tomorrow." A soft _Thud_ resounded from the Joker's cell as he flopped onto his bed. "Nighty-night, Dent. Don't let the firebugs bite."

SCHEME: DAY 2

Craiton sighed as he walked down the halls of Arkham. "Why am I on Joker duty, now?" He asked through his radio to his supervisor.

A sigh crackled through his radio. "Because, George, the clown put Mike in the hospital yesterday. A spoon into the eye."

_Jesus…_ "Fine. But I quit if I'm but here permanently." George hated the Joker. Actually, he hated everything about this job in general.

"Duly noted. Now get your ass up there." The radio snapped and popped as the line went dead.

George hiked up the stairs and crossed down the hall. He found the room of the clown and saw the chair next to it. He settled himself down and took out his book. He had just gotten into it when he heard a yelp from inside Dent's cage. He looked up to see Harvey clutching at the bars.

"Sir? Guard?" He trembled in his voice, but it didn't quite sound right.

George sighed, "What?"

Harvey Dent's eyes traced the guard's outline, "I just had a nightmare. Could I have a glass of water?"

_Water? Jesus… all the way down to the kitchen…_ "Fine. But that's it for the night." He slammed his book down and hoisted up his belt, then walked to the stairs.

As soon as the guard was gone, a scarred face appeared at the bars, "Nice going, my half-hearted friend." The Joker chuckled.

"I do try to please, funny-boy." Dent's other persona cackled along with the clown.

"We don't have much time to discuss the particulars. All you need to know is that after the surgery, you give it your all. I'll be keeping my activities up to keep the focus off of you. Then, when the dust settles, you'll return the favor, right?" The joker grinned his extra-wide grin.

Dent's face leaned to face all of his left side to the maniac across the hall, "If it's your luck, I will." A soft metal _ping_ sounded in the cell as a coin rose and fell in front of the disfigured face.

"Well, I guess that's all I can hope for, right?" A sound of boots echoed up the stairs as the guard walked to the cells.

He had two plastic cups of water in his hand, "I got one for each of you, that way I don't have to hear anymore bitching." He placed one on the chair, then grabbed his keys with his other hand, "Joker, you first. Back away from the door." As the door opened, the guard brandished his taser with one hand, then grabbed the water with the other.

"Oh, officer, how kind." The scarred smile seemed to go on forever. Craiton stepped into the cell to place the water on the ledge by the bed. In an instant, the Joker grabbed the taser out of George's arm and fried him in the back. The guard fell to his knees in a grimace of pain. "Sorry, buddy, no hard feeling." The Joker chuckled through his words as he wrapped his hands around the guards head, "Just the wrong place at the wrong time." And with a _Crack_ the Joker spun George Craiton's head and snapped his neck like a twig.

SCHEME: DAY 3

Commissioner Gordon sat at his desk looking through miles of paperwork. He looked up as Detective Ramiraz walked in with a full report of the murder at Arkham, "Well, that's yet another victim for our clown boy. I guess this means solitary."

Gordon sighed, "Yeah. I guess. Well, with every bit of bad news some good news comes, too. Sounds like Dent is taking the offer for the facial reconstruction surgery." He leaned back in his chair.

Ramiraz sat in the chair across from him, "I guess that means he's getting better?"

Gordon smiled, "The doctors say that with the surgery, and if he keeps on his current course, he may be out and into rehabilitation within the year."

End


	2. Chapter 2

The Great Escape, Part 2

Facing Freedom

-Make sure to read FaceOff, a Two-Face Monologue, to catch up to what's going on.

SCHEME PHASE "BREAK OUT" DAY 1:

One of Harvey Dent's doctors walked down the hall to Harvey's cell. A clipboard in hand, he was thumbing through the analysis of his patient by a team of doctors, eager to rehabilitate Dent back into the world of the sane. He passed solitary, with the resounding cackle of the Joker, real name unknown, echoing in his mind. He looked up at the guard by Dent's cell door and nodded.

The cell creaked open as the doctor walked inside, then shut with a final _Clang._ He sat across from Dent, who was laying on his back. He quickly pocketed something as he sat up to face the doctor, both sides of his face looking just as good as they did almost a year ago, before he was burned.

He looked at the doctor expectantly as the doctor folded the papers back in place then looked up at Dent. He wore large glasses, and had a white 5 o'clock shadow that he itched continuously. It annoyed Dent. He finally spoke, "Harvey, I am here to give you one last assessment before we release you to rehabilitation. If you pass, you will be transported to a mental hospital with less security and more freedoms. It is located in South Gotham, the Triton Mental Institution. From there, after a rigorous amount of test and several weeks, or possibly months, of rehabilitation – "

"I'll be released on probation to start my own life. I've been told all of this a few time, doctor." Dent smiled. His voice was different than before. Maybe it was what he went through here in Arkham. Maybe it was a good sign. Maybe it wasn't.

The doctor stared at Dent for a moment, then shook his thoughts back on track. "Now before I release you, I have a few questions." He looked at the front page on his clipboard. It says here you haven't been seen with the coin you had upon arrival in quite some time. What happened to it?"

Dent's hand involuntarily twitched to his left pocket, but he recovered, "I threw it away."

The doctor looked up with a surprised expression, "Threw it away?"

Dent sighed, "I saw it as a symbol of who I was, and I thought that throwing it away would help rid me of my 'Two-Face' persona for good." He looked at the floor, seemingly shaken by the reminiscence.

The doctor scribbled a few notes on his clipboard, "Did it work?"

Dent looked up and focused the left side of his face at the doctor, "Doc, I haven't heard from that part of me in months. So I assume it did."

The doctor scribbled a few more notes, then looked up again, "What about your supposed relationship with the man known as The Joker? Did you start a friendship or was that Two-Face who did?"

Dent leaned back against the wall and took a moment. "Doctor, when you are in a place like this, being alone can make a man crazier than any trauma. I needed someone to talk to, and the lunatic was across the hall. Sure, I despised him upon being in here, but the more I spoke with him, the more I began to replace that anger with pity. I think our conversations helped me see his sickness, and in turn see mine."

The doctor nodded as he scribbled furiously on the paper, "Interesting, Very interesting. That's very profound of you to say." He turned the page over, then back again. He sighed, then took off his glasses and looked Dent straight in the eyes. "One more question. If, or when, you are released, what do you plan to do?"

Dent sat for a moment, thinking. He smiled, "Oh, probably get back in touch with my family. You know, make up for… Lost time."

The doctor sighed, then stood. "Well, Harvey, I'll submit my notes to the board, but it looks like you'll be out of here tomorrow morning." He put his glasses back on and extended his hand, "Congratulations, Harvey. We're all proud of you for overcoming this." He turned towards the door.

"Oh, yes. It was quite a struggle. But now I feel much… Stronger." Dent smiled charismatically as the doctor left his cell. He had the rest of the day to himself before he would be put in a holding cell in solitary and he could have one last conversation with The Joker.

He sat on the bed again and pulled the coin from his pocket. He made sure he was completely alone, then began flipping it. "You really are a pain in the ass, Dent." Two-Face's gravely voice grunted as he watched each coin toss. "You just had to scream and scream in there while I talked to the doctor." He stopped the coin with a catch of his hand, then looked at the result, the charred face stared back at him. "Too bad I'll have to finish him when I get out of here."

Finally, Dent broke through his maniacal persona's defenses, "Why? Why kill a man who just released us?" His voice shook with rage.

"Released _us?_" Two-Face smiled, "Dent, by the time I'm out of Triton, I'll have gotten rid of you for good." He pocketed the coin, then stretched out on the cot, "And then I can go back to making things right. Making them fair."

-

SCHEME PHASE "BREAK OUT" DAY 1 – at night:

The cell door shut and locked Dent in his holding cell for the night, away from anyone else, save the few deadly criminals in solitary. The guard walked down the main hall, then shut the final sealed door, leaving the hall deserted of anyone but the insane.

There was a groan of springs, then the brushing of metal as a scarred face appeared across from Dent's cell. He tapped on the bars, "Hey, ugly! Wake up!" He grinned as Dent's face appeared across the hall. "So? How'd it go with the shrink?"

Dent grinned almost as wide as The Joker, "Oh, I got him good. I'm out of the hellhole in the morning."

The Joker squealed in delight, "Wonderful. Then, after rehab, you're coming to get me, right? I mean, without my antics, they would have had nothing to distract them from your subtle changes." He seemed to bounce in his cell.

Dent flipped the coin in front of him, "Oh, don't worry, I already flipped. You'll be out in no time. Just be good now, and I can vouch for you in my 'humble opinion as a veteran of Arkham.' " The two of them cackled in glee.

The Joker peered across the hall, "Is Dent giving you much trouble?"

"Oh, no more than I can handle. He'll be gone before I get out of rehab. Trust me."

The Joker grinned even wider, "Great. Oh, my recently repaired fiend, give us a few months, and we'll rule this city."

Two Face glared back at The Joker, "With true justice. With fair, true justice."

"Of course, whatever you say, One-Face!" And The Joker cackled again as Dent laid back down on his bed.

"Tomorrow, I leave, and start to push you out, Dent." Two Face whispered, before finally falling asleep.

-

SCHEME PHASE "BREAK OUT" DAY 1 – at night:

An unmarked alley in downtown Gotham.

Commissioner Gordon paced back and forth, hoping his ace in the whole got his message. He left it at a crime scene after the investigators had left, intending for the vigilante to meet him here at 

midnight. After twenty minutes, Gordon decided the message had been lost or picked up by someone else. As he walked to his car, a _Whoosh_ sounded behind him. He turned to see Batman, the most wanted man in Gotham now, on a false charge of five murders.

A deep, rough voice came from the mask, "You called?"

Gordon thought for a moment, "The doctors are releasing Harvey into rehabilitation in the morning."

"And?"

"I'm not sure if it's a good idea."

"Are you a doctor?"

"Look, he killed five people without thinking twice. Flip the coin, bang, dead." His voice involuntarily raised in volume.

The masked man began to pace, "Maybe it all finally sank in. He did finally accept the surgery, right?"

Gordon sighed, "Yeah. Yeah, he did."

Batman looked up, "Give it a shot. I can always throw him back to you if things don't work out."

Gordon turned away, "That's the problem. I keep worrying that when things really don't work out, you may not be there." Gordon turned, but faced an empty alley, the Batman had gone. _Kind of like now._ He thought to himself, then got in his car and drove home.


	3. Chapter 3

The Great Escape, Part 3

No funny business

(Please note; content you should have read before this is as follows;

1 – The great escape Ch.1

2 – FaceOff, a Twoface monologue.

3 – The great escape Ch. 2 )

Location: Waiting room of Arkham Asylum

The voices in Arkham were louder than ever, as circulation of the Joker's planned escape caught each inmate and sparked them with evil delight. Every inmate wanted to be a part of the plan, even if it did not guarantee their freedom. The Joker ruled the insane as the Piper rules the rats, they danced to his tune and he used them for his own purposes.

Thunder sounded outside as Commissioner Gordon hurried through the doors of the asylum, dripping with the heavy rain that pounded outside. He shook his coat as he walked to the front desk, "Excuse me, young miss," The Commissioner spoke to the receptionist, "Could you get me Lieutenant Harrison?"

The young lady grinned at Gordon, "Of course, sir, just a moment," She turned to the phone on the desk and dialed Lieutenant Isaiah Harrison, the chief security officer at Arkham Asylum. Within a few moments, a haggard and rather frazzled looking man rushed through a door to greet Gordon.

"Jim! Great to see you, old friend." The older man enthusiastically shook the Commissioner's hand, almost tearing it right off, "What brings you to the loony bin today?" As the Lieutenant opened the conversation, he showed Gordon to his office, located behind the waiting room. The room was cluttered and musty, and the smell of old carpet stung Gordon's nostrils.

"Well, Jim, I have a few questions that I need answers to." Gordon sat back in a chair opposite the Lieutenant's desk.

"Regarding?" Harrison asked, leaning onto his desk.

"The Joker."

***

Location: Cell block K, Solitary Cell 13

Hushed murmurs came from the cell as the guard attending it tried to ignore them. The words were fast and quiet, as though the man who spoke them was hurriedly reciting every thought that came to mind. Silently, the guard waited. Every night the murmurs started before the man finally turned his attention to the outside of his cell. _Any minute now._ The guard thought to himself.

"Barry? Barry, is that you?" A sweet, falsetto voice sang from behind the bars, "Oh where, oh where has my Ba-rry gone?" The voice sang at the guard. "Oh where, oh where could he be?" A shadowed face appeared at the small window in the door, two beady eyes gazing outward. "Barry? I'm scared, Barry. Barry? BARRY!" The voice dropped octaves as the man roared. Though this eventually happened every night, Barry Winquim jumped every single time.

"Oh I get it." The man whined, "You aren't supposed to talk to me. Silly me, I forgot." The man turned away from his window, muttering again. Barry rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall again, easing up slightly. Suddenly, a loud _BANG _resounded from the cell. Barry turned to peer inside, and the man's face popped in front of the window, causing Barry to jump and take a step back.

"So I finally get your attention? And I have to kick my sink to do it. How sad." The man peered at Barry, squinting with an intensity that the guard was not used to, "I have something important to say, Barry, and you need to hear it. The guard involuntarily took a step towards the man. "Good. Now listen up, kid. "I'm getting' outta here. Soon."

Barry turned away, sensing another monologue about the great creativity of this particular plan of escape. "Don't turn around, Barry, because you may not like the consequences. You see, I'm getting out of here one way or another. But I may need a little help." Barry turned towards the man, finally speaking.

"You're crazy man. You ain't getting' out of here in a million years." He smiled at the man in the cell, "You're trapped, little man."

The man cackled suddenly, causing the guard to jump again. A huge grin showed through the window, revealing the scars that seemed to elongate the man's smile, "That's a shame, Barry. Because you can either help me escape," The man leaned in close to the bars, gripping one with his hand, "Or go get one that will."

Barry leaned in to match the insane man's motions, "And what makes you think I'll do that?"

Suddenly, the man's hand squeezed between the bars, slamming two fingers with extremely sharp nails into each of the guard's eye sockets, puncturing his eyes and reaching into his cranium. The man curled his fingers and pulled forward, causing his fingers to grope farther into Barry's gray matter, then slamming the limp guard's body against the door, causing a resounding _CLANG_ that echoed down the hall.

A guard further down turned and saw his fallen comrade, and yelled into his radio. As the guard ran towards his cell, the Joker smiled, "Either way I get a new guard. Maybe this next one will actually go for it."

***

Harvey Dent sat at the edge of his bed, playing with a small object, turning it in his hands. As the doctor entered, Dent sat up, the item disappearing.

Doctor Timothy Graham sat opposite Harvey, a clipboard in his lap, and his bifocals on his nose. As the doctor wordlessly flipped through the papers on the clipboard, Harvey stared at the doctor, waiting.

"Well, Harvey, how are we today?" The doctor finally looked up at Harvey, smiling grimly as he analyzed everything about the man.

Harvey returned the doctor's smirk with a more sincere-looking smile, "I'm doing just fine, doctor, how about yourself?"

The doctor cleared his throat, "Fine, Harvey. I'm doing just fine." He clicked his pen and jotted down a few notes, "You realize what today is?"

"Sunday?" Harvey smiled.

The doctor chuckled, "Well, that too. If this meeting goes well, it very well may be your last day here at Triton."

"Well that's good news if I ever heard it." Harvey's grin was even larger.

"I thought you might like to hear that. Well, let's just get it over with." The doctor began his series of questions, poking and prodding at Harvey's mind, searching for the smallest weakness, the slightest fracture. Question after question was met with logical, sane answers. After almost an hour of rigorous psychological testing, the doctor sat back, "It looks good, Harvey. The results look good."

***

Location: an abandoned warehouse on 16th and L streets.

Commissioner Gordon paced the third floor, waiting for the visitor he needed to talk with. Another guard dead, news of an escape plan, Dent finally released back into society. It was all too much, and Gordon needed to speak with the man who always had a plan; The Batman.

He heard a rustling near the doorway, and turned to see a tall figure standing in shadow. He would have thought it to be The Batman, but he say no sign of a cape, no pointed mask, no armored suit. Instead he saw the outline of a dress suit, and a fashionable man. He began to spoke, but the figure beat him to it.

"He's not coming, Jim." The voice was familiar to Gordon. It was a voice he had heard many times before.

"Harvey?" Gordon took a step back, but the figure raised a hand to motion a stop.

"I've been tracking you, Jim. I saw you plant the note," The figure threw a crumpled piece of paper at Gordon's feet, "I intercepted it."

Gordon bent down and picked up the message he had left for Batman, "What's going on, Harvey?" The Commissioner spoke in his calmest voice, remembering a time when he had to speak to Dent in a similar fashion. Though his son's life was no longer in danger here, he still felt the fear.

"I'm here to warning you. You're a lucky man."

Gordon frowned, "How's that?"

The figure reached into his pocket and revealed a double-sided coin, two identical faces, yet one side was burned and scarred beyond recognition; a visage that no longer reflected its owner. "You're lucky I didn't come here to kill you." The man flipped the coin and pocketed it.

"Tell me what's going on, Dent." Gordon's voice grew more tense, fear creeping into his blood.

"I'm here to warn you, Jim; Gotham is going to fall. It is going to fall into utter chaos."

Gordon smirked, "You were never one to lecture on society, Dent."

The figure chuckled, "Oh no, Gordon. This chaos is of an outside force. I am taking the city, Jim. With the help of a lunatic that is all too familiar with chaos."

Gordon's eyes widened, "The Joker."

"Yes. The Joker." The figure placed his hands into his pockets, "We're enforcing chaos onto this city, Gordon. We'll start small, then grow as others see the chaos around them and realize its justice."

Gordon schoffed, "Justice? Harvey, what happened to you? What did that place do to you? Are you listening to yourself? It's a good thing you came to warn you," Gordon reached for his radio, "At least now I can warn Arkham and call a squad to bring you in before you got in over your head."

The figure merely laughed, "That's going to be hard." The figure raised its other hand, revealing a small cylindrical object with a blue light on top, "I've jammed your radio. Nothing comes in, nothing goes out." The figure pocketed his device, "Not only can you not tell anyone I'm here, but you have no idea that the Joker's escape is already underway."

Gordon caught his breath, "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" The figure grasped his radio jammer and pressed a button, causing the light to switch off. Suddenly, Gordon's radio came to life.

"Calling all available units in the area, calling all units," The radio crackled in a frenzied voice, "Prison riot in progress at Arkham Asylum. Possible 187 on site – " The radio cut off as the blue light lit up again.

Gordon gasped as he held his radio, "Oh my God, Harvey. What have you done?" He looked up at the figure, "Why? What are you thinking?" Gordon began muttering to himself, "I've got to call them, tell them you're here." Gordon pulled his weapon from its holster, aiming at the figure, "Don't move Harvey. I'm going to take you in"

The figure chuckled, "Good luck, Jim." The figure reached into its pocket as Gordon fired his weapon, aiming at the figures leg. Suddenly, a loud _CRASH _flooded the room as glass shattered at the force of the bullet. Gordon saw the mirror in front of him and cursed at being duped by the optical illusion. He spun on the spot, but a blow to the temple sent him sprawling, his gun landing at the other man's feet.

The man bent down and picked up the pistol, "I came here to warn you, Jim," He clicked the gun, releasing the magazine, "Not to kill you. The fates have decided." The man threw the gun out the window, "For now, at least." The man turned to leave as Gordon shouted.

"Why are you doing this, Harvey? What could this accomplish?" Gordon's breathing was elevated.

The man turned towards Gordon, "A wise man once said to me, 'The thing about chaos; its fair.' True justice is long overdue, Gordon," The man revealed the coin yet again, flipping it and catching it, then rolling it along his knuckles,

"So what, Dent? Bring justice about again, work with the law, become that man you were." Gordon was desperate to reach him.

"I've long since given up on attempting to bring about your false justice. True justice is decided by fate, Jim."

Gordon's voice dropped, "You're not the Harvey Dent I once knew."

The man laughed, then brought his face into the light, showing a perfectly healed face. A thin, almost invisible scare ran down the center of his face as the man smiled, "You're absolutely right, Gordon. Harvey Dent stopped fighting about halfway through our therapy sessions." The man whirled a finger around his face, "This is all me." He flipped the coin, then raised it to Gordon's eyes, showing the disfigured side, "Dent is gone. It's just Two-Face now."

END OF CHAPTER


	4. Chapter 4

The Great Escape, Chapter 4

Double Whammy

The cackling laughter echoed down the hall, almost inaudible above the rioting chaos throughout Arkham Asylum. Gunfire peppered the air as the occasional screech cut through the noise. Guards hurried down the hall in small groups, wrestling the insane criminals into submission, whether with rubber bullets or tranquilizers.

A tall, lanky man sat bent in his cell, slowly laughing, his scarred grin spreading across his face as he waited. He knew it would come. It was long overdue. Eventually, things would go back to the calm that was maintained, then _he _would come. He would demand a private consultation. He would lead him out, saying that a transfer would alleviate the tension in the asylum. He would com. Until then, all he could do was wait.

***

Commissioner Jim Gordon sat in his patrol car a block from Arkham, listening to the chaos that ensued. Next to him sat Harvey Dent, ex-District Attorney of Gotham City. A gun was pointed at Gordon, Dent's eyes never leaving his hostage.

"Remember the plan, Gordon. We go in, talk to the Joker, demand the release, we leave. You let anyone know what's going on, and I'll kill you where you stand."

Gordon's voice trembled with fear that he didn't wish to reveal, "I've got it, Harvey."

Harvey Dent hissed, "It's Two-Face!"

"Right…" Gordon's sad eyes looked towards the asylum, "Harvey Two-Face."

***

The asylum had finally began to resemble a working prison again. Pockets of criminals were still being subdued, but the calm of the facility had been mostly restored. Jim Gordon walked into the front office, followed shortly by Harvey Dent. The secretary that normally greeted the visitors was gone, replaced by a flustered Lieutenant Isaiah Harrison.

"What can I do for ya, Jim?" The friendliness of the chief security officer's voice was gone, replaced with worry and anxiety.

Gordon replied, "I need to talk to him, Lieutenant."

Harrison looked up, "The Joker? What for?"

"We need to get him out of here." Gordon sighed, "He's not helping things, we need to get him transferred, away from others like him. He's only causing problems."

Harrison grunted, "Well, I can't say I disagree, Commissioner, but where do we put him?"

"A real jail. In solitary."

"Are you crazy? He'll get torn apart. They'll find a way to get to him." The lieutenant looked shocked at Gordon's suggestion.

"Maybe that's the point." Gordon raised his eyebrows. "Either way, he can't stay here. Eventually the whole place will come down."

Harrison stood over the desk for a minute, rubbing his head as he sighed. Finally he looked up with tired, depressed eyes, "Alright, Jim. You can have him."

Gordon smiled weakly, "Thank you, Isaiah." Gordon turned towards the corridor entrance.

Suddenly, Harrison stopped him, "Wait!" He pointed at Dent, "Where's he goin?"

Gordon replied, "He's with me. I needed someone with experience in dealing with the clown."

Dent grinned on cue, "Anything I can do to help."

Harrison eyed Dent, "Alright then." He then muttered, "You can take the nutjob outta the loony bin…"

Two-Face and Gordon walked down the hall in silence, each despising the other for everything they were. Gordon approached the guard standing in front of the Joker's cell, "Give us a minute, son." He said, flashing his badge. The guard nodded, then walked down the hall, out of earshot.

Gordon worked at the keyhole, then opened the door to the cell. The joker sat in the corner, his head hung as his arms rested in his knees. It was harder for Gordon to decide whether he looked more or less menacing without the make-up.

"Well hello again, Commissioner." The Joker grinned up at Gordon, showing his scar. As Two-Face entered he chuckled, "And welcome back, Dynamic Duo."

"No duo in here," Two-Face smiled, pointing to his head, "Only little ol' me." The two shared a laugh that chilled Gordon to the bone. "Now how's about we get outta this place?"

The Joker stood up, his grin even wider, "That is an offer I just can't refuse." He looked at Gordon, "What're we gonna do with the Commissioner once we escape?"

Two-Face flipped the coin in his hand, "Well, we have to let him live," He said as the coin reached its maximum height, "So I figured we'd-" The coin landed in his hand, "Drug him up and throw him in one of these empty cells. A soundproof one." Two face grabbed Gordon's handcuffs as Joker held him still. "By the time they do they're weekly inspection and find a half-starved Gordon in here, we'll be long gone." The Joker cackled as he tied Gordon's own tie around the Commissioner's mouth, muffling his desperate pleas.

"It's a shame they do they're inspection in just two days." The Joker let out a false sigh, "If you would have timed this better, we could have off'ed him by letting him starve out a whole week in that room!" The two cackled as they made their way out of the cell, Two-Face grabbing Gordon's badge.

After locking Gordon's new cell, Joker mimicked his capture and Two-Face led him by the guard, out to the lobby. Suddenly, a figure rushed towards the front door, only to be tackled by the lieutenant. The inmate that had attempted to escape now reached for Harrison's gun, poking out of his jacket. The two wrestled as Two-Face towered over them.

Harrison looked up to see Two-Face and the Joker, with Gordon absent. Before the look of confusion could fully register, Two-Face had already flipped the coin, the blackened, scratched side landing up. A shot blasted through the lieutenant's forehead as Two-Face chuckled, "Oh darn." The inmate looked up to Two-Face in relief, but his good luck vanished as Two-Face caught his coin again, pointing his pistol at the inmate now, "Sorry, friend, but fair is fair."

***

Bruce Wayne stood at the top of Wayne Enterprises, enjoying the night wind as he gazed down towards Arkham asylum. Behind him, the door closed quietly as footsteps approached him. Wayne had no need to turn around, as he knew who had arrived.

"Keeping watch tonight, Master Wayne?" The familiar British accent of Wayne's butler, Alfred, cut through the silence.

Wayne grinned, "I'm trying, Alfred. I feel so powerless."

Alfred stood next to Wayne, gazing down at the chaos of the settling riot, "Looks like quite a night."

"I can't go down there, Alfred. As much as I could help them quell the riot, I can't risk the lives of the policemen who would try to arrest me."

Alfred sighed, "And thus, the conundrum has been seen; what is important enough to risk your capture?"

Wayne ran his fingers through his hair, "That's the problem. I'm not sure what is."

[End of Chapter]


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